The future depends on the “TOD”.

More than 1 million square meters in building, 20,000 new residents, and a concept that is innovative: the of the former hippodrome of Montreal will become within a decade ‘a city within the city of Montreal’, promised this morning no. 2 Administration Tremblay, Michael Applebaum.

The process of consultation and planning, which will take place until 2017, will actually begin this fall, with the holding in December of a forum of experts.

This “requalification” of places is “a unique opportunity which will become an international reference for urban planning”, he assured during a press briefing in a restaurant near the disused Racecourse.

An example of “TOD”.

After a year of consultation, the city will launch in September 2013 an international design competition to the vocation of the places.

Public consultation Office will be asked three times to feel the pulse of the population and interested groups.

Finally, in the winter of 2016 is expected adopt a master plan. Development would be launched as early as 2017, according to that timetable.

Mayor Gérald Tremblay believes that it is a “very important moment” for this sector. It is an opportunity to “show that can be integrated in a harmonious development of all of the policies put forward” by his administration.

It wants to build 5,000 to 8,000 dwellings that will be an example of Transit Oriented Development (TOD), a complex where integrate the density, transit and sustainable development. The mayor said on this occasion that the tramway could make its appearance here, if the funds are to go.

Available condominiums will be “at least” consisting of 30% of affordable and social housing, he promised. By a mechanism which has yet to be clarified, it is hoped that these apartments will be for families. We would like to include parks, bodies of water, shops, schools and a police station.

Equally with Quebec

“Project Hippodrome”, as calls it the Tremblay administration, is inspired by achievements “inspiring” abroad, including the BedZED in London, Bo01 of Malmö in Sweden and the Amsterdam GWL. The latter, completed in 1998, is the first dense residential car-free.

Hopefully the new district of Montreal, in an area where traffic is already very heavy, will offer more environmentally-friendly modes of travel.

The project is estimated at 2.5 billion, and tax benefits for the city will be of the order of 20 million per year. An agreement with Quebec, the provincial government and the city will share equally the fruits of the sale of the land.